1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a heating cooker having a closed cooking chamber, and more particularly, to a heating cooker suitable for cooking fish, meat, or the like, which causes plenty of smell and smoke, and preventing smell or smoke from being emitted when the closed cooking chamber is open or during cooking.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heating cookers with enclosed cooking chambers may be classified as roasters, grills, bakers, electric ovens, and so on. Such heating cookers generate plenty of smoke and smell while heating and cooking food. For example, if an enclosed cooking chamber is opened after cooking is completed, smell and smoke generated in the enclosed cooking chamber are immediately released, which may be inconvenient for the user. In particular, such inconvenience is more serious when the food is fish or meat.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a conventional heating cooker suitable for cooking fish or meat. The conventional heating cooker of FIG. 10 includes a container 3 and a lid 4 which are connected to each other by a hinge 2. When an upper portion of the container 3 is covered with the lid 4, an enclosed cooking chamber is defined therebetween. A lower heater 5a and an upper heater 5b are respectively installed in lower and upper portions of the cooking chamber, i.e., the container 3 and the lid 4. Also, the container 3 is provided with a grill 9 or the like for supporting food. In addition, a deodorizing filter 6 is installed in the lid 4, wherein the deodorizing filter 6 includes a substance for absorbing and eliminating gas or vapor containing smell or smoke, deodorant, or catalyst.
However, due to a limited capability of the deodorizing filter, the conventional heating cooker is insufficient for eliminating the smoke or smell components which are increasingly generated with longer cooking times. In addition, since gas or vapor having smell or smoke generated during cooking is condensed in the deodorizing filter within a short time, the capability of the deodorizing filter exceeds its limit quickly. Also, the deodorizing filter cannot deodorize/adsorb smell or smoke generated after its limit is exceeded.
A heating cooker may have a cooking chamber filled with water at the bottom to a certain depth in order to help absorb smoke and smell. In this case, oil and heated vapor generated while cooking fish or meat may partially contact the water due to internal convection and then dissolve therein, which may decrease smell to some extent. However, most of the smell or smoke generated during cooking has a high temperature and thus collects in an upper portion of the cooking chamber rather than its lower portion. Therefore, a very small amount of the smell or smoke is absorbed and dissolved in the water and most of the smell or smoke is discharged to the air.
Forcing the gas containing smell or smoke generated during cooking into the water is also not effective in that the deodorizing efficiency is poor and noise is also generated. Additionally, heat is discharged together with the discharged gas containing smell or smoke, which may cause energy loss.